Nutcracker.



w. 0. McDANlEL.

NUTCRACKER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I1. I9I5.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

NOGRAPH Co.. WASNINGTOIN, D. C.

FFCF.

-WALTER O. MGDANIEL, OF'ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI ASSIGNOR TO SCI-IROETERBROTHERS HARDWARE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OFMISSOURI.

NUTCRAGKEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-Aug. 24, 1915.

Application filed April 17, 1915. Serial No. 22,041.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER O. MoDANmL, acitizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Nutcrackers, of whichthefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to nut crackers, and has for its main object toprovide an incxpensive nut cracker of simple construction, that isefficient, strong and easy to operate, and which is so designed thatnuts of various sizes can be cracked in same without a preliminaryadjustment of the device.

Another object is to provide a device that will crack nuts of varioussizes without crushing the kernels of the nuts or pinching the operatorsfingers. And still another object is to provide a nut cracker that iscomposed of a few light-weight castings of simpledesign that can beassembled easily and permanently connected together in such a mannerthat there is very little liability of the device getting out of orderwhen it is in use.

Other objects and desirable features of my.

invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevational view of a nut crackerconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a verticalsectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and Fig. A is aperspective view of the operating lever and cam that are employed foractuating the movable jaw.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of myinvention, A and B designate two jaws which are disposed oppositely toeach other and provided with. a plurality of nut-receiving recesses thatare adapted to receive the nuts of various sizes. The jaw A isstationary and is preferably formed integral with abase portion C onwhich the aw B is slidingly mounted. A screw cam D, which isoscillatingly mounted in the movable jaw B, cooperates with an inclinedgroove or recess 1 in the top face of the base portion C to move the jawB toward and away from the stationary jaw A when said screw cam D isoscillated back and forth by means of an operating lever E that isrigidly connected to said screw cam. Any suitable means may be employedfor connecting the base portion C to a supporting structure, butlpreferto provide said base portion with a depending hook-shaped part 2 thatcarries a clamping screw 8, thereby enabling the device to be applied toor removed quickly from a supporting structure m, such, for example, asa table top.

The opposed faces of the jaws A and B comprise vertically-disposedparallel portions 4 and inclined diverging portions 5, as shown in Figs.1 and 3, so that the jaws will accommodate nuts of different sizes, andthe means that move the jaw B toward and away from the stationary jaw Ais so designed that the jaw B has only a slight movement in bothdirections and never comes in contact with the stationary jaw A. Theobject of constructing the device in this manner is to overcome thenecessity of adjusting the device preparatory to cracking the nut. If acomparatively small nut is to be cracked, it is arranged between thejaws A and B near the lower ends of said jaws and thereafter the leverEis actuated so as to move the jaw B toward thev jaw A, the screw cam Dthat actuates the movable jaw B being so designed that it will only movesaid jaw far enough to crack the shell of the nut without liability ofcrushing the kernel. After the nut has been crackedthe lever E is swungin the'opposite direction, so as to restore the jaw B to its formerposition. If a larger nut is to be cracked, it is arranged between theinclined diverging faces 5 of the jaws A and B and the operationspreviously described are repeated.

In the embodiment of my invention herein illustrated 'the'jaws A and Bare provided with a plurality of pairs of nut-receiving recesses. Asshown in Figs. 1 and 3, a pair of nut-receiving recesses a; are formedin the parallel faces A of said jaws and two pairs of nut-receivingrecesses b and 0 are formed in the inclined diverging faces 5 of saidjaws. Jaws of the construction above described center the nuts properlyand hold a nut in position after the jaws have started toclose, therebyenabling the operator to remove his fingers from the nut prior to thecompletion of the cracking operation. In other words, the jaws of myimproved cracker are so designed that the operator can place a nut inone or the other pairs of F nut-receiving recesses in the jaws, depending upon the size of the nut, and then release the nut after the lever Ehas been moved a slight distance, or sufficiently to cause the jaws toclamp the nut, the operation of cracking the nut being completed bymoving the lever E to the end of its stroke and thereafter reversing thelever E or moving it in the opposite direction so as to restore themovable jaw B to its normal position. The nut-receiving recesses a, .7)and 0 that are formed in the jaws of the device are preferably made deepenough so that the opposite ends'of a nut will not contact with thebottoms of the pair of recesses in which it is arranged, thereby causingthe edge portion of said recesses to exert pressure uniformly on theopposite end portions of the nut at a slight distance from the extremeends of the nut, and thus causing the shell of the nut to crack at thecenter of the nut. In view of the fact that the jaw B has a fixedmovement and only comparatively slight movement, there is no liabilityof crushing the kernel of the nut during the operation of cracking theshell. In order that comparatively small nuts may be cracked in thedevice, I have provided the base portion C with a nut-receiving recess darranged adj acent the stationary jaw A and have provided the parallelfaces 4 of the jaws A and B with serrations 6 that tightly grip a nutthat is arranged in the recess 03, and thus eifec= tively prevent thenut from falling out of said recess. The base portion 0 of the deviceand the depending hook-shaped part 2 thereon are preferably I-shaped incross section, and the movable jaw B is provided at its lower end withhook-shaped portions 7 that embrace the top flange of the base portionC, and thus securely hold the jaw B in an upright position on the baseportion C without interfering with the sliding movement of said jaw. Thethread of the screw cam D coils around the hub of said cam approximately180", and the groove 1 insaid base portion which receives the thread ofsaid cam has the same angle as the pitch of said thread, so as to causethe jaw B to move freely back and forth on the base portion 0 when thecam D is oscillated. The operating lever E can be connected to the cam Din various ways without depart ing from the spirit of my invention, butI prefer to connect said parts together in the manner hereinillustrated, so as to simplify the device and reduce the cost ofmanufacturing same. As shown in Fig. 4, the lever E is provided at oneend with a laterallyprojecting shank whose end portions 8 and 9 areround and whose intermediate portion 10 is ofnon-circular shape in crosssection, said shank being preferably formed integral with the lever E.The hub 11 of the cam D has a non-circular shaped bore 12, as shown inFig. 4, that corresponds tothe cross-sec tional shape of theintermediate portion 10 of said shank, so as to cause said cam to turnwith the lever E after the shank on said lever has been inserted throughthe hub of said cam. The cam D is arranged in a pocket or cut-outportion 13 in the jaw B, and the round end portions 8 and 9 of the shankof the lever E fit freely in holes of corresponding shape that areformed in. the inner and outer walls, respectively,of the pocket 13 inthe jaw B. It will thus be seen that the shank on the operating lever Eis journaled in the aw B and that said shank supports the screw cam D.

To assemble the parts just referred to the screw cam D is first arrangedin the pocket 13 in the movable jaw and the shank on the lever E is thenslipped through the hole, in the outer wall of said pocket and forcedinwardly through the bore in the hub of the cam D until the journal 8 atthe outer end of said shank enters the opening provided for same in theother wall of the pocket 13 in the movable jaw B. Thereafter a pin orother suitable retaining device 14 is passed transversely through the"hub 11 of thecam D and through the portion 10 of the shank on thelever- E, so as to securely connect said cam and lever together. The hubof the screw cam D extends practically the entire length of the pocket13 inthe movable jaw B, and consequently, it will be impossible for thetrunnion 8 on the shank of the lever E to slip out of its bearing in thejaw B after said cam has been connected to said shank by the retainingdevice 14. I prefer to make the intermediate portion 10 of the shank onthe lever E and the socket 12 in the hub of the cam D slightly tapered,so as to If desired, the cam D of the device may be provided with stops15 and 16 that coiiperate with the base portion C to limit the rotarymovement of said cam in both directions,

said stops preventing the cam D from assuming such a position that thethread thereon moves out of the inclined slot 1, thus permitting the jawB to'be withdrawn from the base portion 0.

My improved nut cracker comprises only four parts, namely, the baseportion C, the movable jaw 13, the operating lever E and the cam D, andas allof said parts can be formed from castings which are of such designthat they can be assembled quickly and. easily, the device can bemanufactured at a very low cost. All parts of the device are largeenough so that the device will be exceptionally strong and rigid, thustending to eliminate breakage when the device is in use, the thread ofthe cam D is large enough and thick enough to prevent same from wearingout quickly and thus rendering the device useless, and said cam isconnected to the operating lever and is arranged in the movable jaw B insuch a manner that there is little danger of its getting out of orderwhen the device is in use. Small nuts, large nuts and nuts ofintermediate sizes can be cracked quickly and effectively in a device ofthe construction above described without liability of crushing thekernels and without the necessity of adjusting the device to accommodatethe particular nut being cracked, owing to the fact that the jaws A andB of the device have a plurality of pairs of nutreceiving recesses thataccommodate nuts of different sizes, and as the movable jaw and theoperating mechanism for same are so designed and arranged. that said jawhas a fixed movement of only slight length toward and away from thestationary jaw of the device, there is no danger of the operatorpinching his fingers during the operation of cracking the nut, nor isthere any possibility of the nut jumping out of position between thejaws when the jaw B is moving toward the rigid jaw A, owing to the factthat said jaws have cooperating surfaces that bite upon the end portionsof the nut.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. A nut cracker, comprising opposed jaws provided with a plurality ofpairs of conical nutreceiving recesses for holding nuts of varioussizes, and an actuating mech anism for causing said jaws to exertsuiiicient pressure on a nut to crack the shell of same without crushingthe kernel of the nut.

2. A nut cracker, comprising opposed jaws whose cooperating faces areprovided with a plurality of alining conical recesses for receiving nutsof various sizes between same when the jaws are opened, and an operatingmechanism for imparting a fixed movement of relatively slight degree toone of said jaws so as to exert suflicient pressure on the shell of thenut to crack the same.

3. A nut cracker, comprising opposed jaws having inclined divergingfaces that are provided with alining conical recesses that are adaptedto receive nuts of various sizes when the jaws are opened, and anoperating mechanism that imparts a fixed movement of camparativelyslight degree to one of said jaws in a direction toward and away fromthe other aw.

4. A nut cracker, comprising opposed jaws having parallel faces andinclined diverging faces that are equipped with a plurality of pairs ofconical, stepped nut-receiving recesses for holding nuts of varioussizes, and an operating mechanism for one of said jaws which alwaysmoves same a fixed distance, irrespective of the nut being cracked.

5. A nut cracker, comprising a stationary jaw and a movable jaw whoseopposed faces are provided with stepped, conical recesses so that nutsof various sizes can be arranged between same when the jaws are opened,said. movable jaw having a fixed stroke in both directions, and amanually-operated device for positively actuating said movable jaw inboth directions.

6. A nut cracker, comprising a stationary base portion provided with arigid jaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted on said base portion, and anoperating screw oscillatingly mounted in said movable jaw and having itsthread arranged in engagement with an inclined groove in said baseportion.

7. A nut cracker, comprising a base portion provided with a rigid jaw, amovable jaw slidingly mounted on said base portion, and an operating camoscillatingly mounted in said movable jaw and arranged-in engagementwith an inclined groove in said base portion, said jaws being providedin their opposed faces with a plurality of pairs of conicalnut-receiving recesses which are so arranged that they will hold nuts ofvarious sizes when the jaws are opened.

8. A. nut cracker, comprising a base portion provided with a stationaryjaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted on said base por tion, the opposedfaces of said aws comprising parallel serrated portions and inclineddiverging portions provided with conical recesses that are adapted toreceive nuts of various sizes when the jaws are opened, a screw camoscillatingly mounted in said movable jaw and arranged with its threadin engagement with an inclined groove in said base portion, said threadextending around the hub of the cam approximately 180 and a lever foractuating said cam.

9. A nut cracker, comprising a stationary jaw and a cooperating movablejaw, said jaws being provided in their opposed faces with conicalnut-receiving recesses or depressions which are stepped so that nuts ofvarious sizes can be arranged between said jaws when they are opened, anoperating cam for said movable jaw having a spiral thread that extendsaround the hub of the cam approximately 180 and which imparts a fixedstroke to said movable jaw in both directions, and a lever foroscillating said cam back and forth.

10. A nut cracker, comprising a base portion provided with a rigid aw, amovable jaw slidingly mounted on said base portion,

said jaws being provided in their opposed faces with conlcalnut-receiving recesses or depressions which are stepped so that nuts ofvarious sizes can be arranged between said jaws when they are opened,and an operating mechanism for said movable jaw which imparts a fixedstroke to same toward and away from said stationary jaw.

11. A nut cracker, comprising a base portion provided with an integralstationary jaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted on said base portion,said jaws being provided .in their opposed faces with conical nuttionprovided with an integral stationary jaw, a movable jaw slidinglymounted on said base portion, said jaws being provided in their opposedfaces with stepped nutreceiving'recesses or depressions which are soformed that nuts of various sizes can be arranged between said jaws whenthey are opened, an operating cam arranged in a recess in said movablejaw and having a spiral thread of approximately 180 that projects intoan inclined groove in said base portion, an operating lever, and a shankon said operating lever that is journaled in said movable jaw and whichforms a support for said operating cam, said cam being securelyconnected to said shank and the hub of the cam being so proportionedthat it prevents the shank on said lever from moving out of engagementwith the bearings provided for same in said movable jaw.

13. Anut-cracker, comprising a base portion provided with a stationaryjaw, a movable jaw slidingly mounted on said base portion and providedwith a pocket, a screw cam arranged 1n said pocket, said base portionhaving an lnclined groove for receivlng the thread on said cam, anoperating lever through the hub of the cam and through said shank.

14. A nut cracker having a base portion that is substantially I-shapedin cross section and which is provided with an integral hook-shaped partthat projects downwardly from same, a clamping screw carried by said.hook-shaped part, an integral jaw projecting upwardly from said baseportion, a movable jaw slidingly mounted on said base portion andprovided at its lower end with flanges that cooperate with the upperflange of said base portion and hold said jaw in an upright position, anoperating lever having a shank that is journaled in said movable j aw,and a screw cam securely connected to said shank and arranged with itsthread in engagement with an inclined groove in the upper flange of saidbase portlon.

15. A nut cracker, comprising a base portion provided with a stationaryjaw, a movable jawslidingly mounted on said base por-v tion, cooperatingmeans on said jaws for positioning nuts of various sizes when the jawsare opened, a screw cam oscillatingly mountved in said movable jaw andprovided with a thread that extends around the hub of the camapproximately 180, said base portion having an inclined groove forreceiving the thread on said cam, an operating lever for actuating saidcam, and stops on said cam that cooperate with said base portion forlimiting the rotary movement of said cam in opposite directions.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses, this eighth day of April 1915.

WALTER o. McDANIEL.

Witnesses: Y

WELLS L. CHURCH, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

